ST. JOHN'S, NL, Feb. 1 /CNW/ - The Research & Development Corporation
(RDC), the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada
(NSERC), and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) are
partnering to provide financial support to help Newfoundland and
Labrador companies involved in research and development (R&D)
activities to better access highly-qualified technical people.

RDC, NSERC and ACOA each have programs targeted at enhancing the
province's R&D sector, including providing financial assistance to
companies to supplement costs associated with hiring recent doctoral
(PhD) graduates in support of their R&D activities.

"The ultimate goal is to enhance industry capacity as an R&D performer,
a key driver behind innovation and business growth," said Glenn Janes,
Chief Executive Officer, RDC. "Supporting post-doctoral researchers is
a first for RDC and is an untapped area for us. These fellowships will
provide companies with the human capital they need to solve technical
challenges, develop new innovative products and services, and compete
in global markets. At the same time, it will provide recent graduates
with the opportunity to pursue a career in industry."

Qualifying companies apply for funding through NSERC's Industrial R&D
Fellowships (IRDF) program, which will feed into RDC's process; and
through ACOA's Business Development Program.

RDC and NSERC will each commit up to $30,000 per year for fellowship
awards of up to two years. The qualifying company is responsible for
negotiating the salary and benefits package with the IRDF candidate and
must provide a minimum of $10,000 (plus benefits) per year.
Supplemental support from ACOA may be considered if total funding from
all government sources does not exceed 75 per cent of eligible project
costs. Applications must be made directly to ACOA.

To be nominated for an IRDF fellowship, the candidate must be a Canadian
citizen or permanent resident of Canada at the time of nomination. The
candidate must have completed a doctoral degree in a discipline of
science or engineering within the last five years, or expect to have
completed all the requirements for such a degree by the proposed date
of appointment. Qualifying companies must be actively engaged in
research and development activities.

"This partnership extends the reach and impact of NSERC's Industrial R&D
Fellowships program by making companies in the region more aware of the
talent that is available and how it can be used to help address their
business innovation needs," said Janet Walden, Vice-President, Research
Partnerships Programs at NSERC. "By working together with ACOA and RDC,
we can more effectively connect postdoctoral researchers and companies,
accelerating the transfer of expertise and technology, and increasing
commercialization."

The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) is a provincial Crown
corporation responsible for improving Newfoundland and Labrador's
research and development (R&D) performance. RDC works with R&D
stakeholders including industry, academia and government agencies and
departments. For more information about RDC, go to www.researchnl.com.

About the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of
discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports some
30,000 postsecondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their
advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 12,000
professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than
1,500 Canadian companies to participate and invest in postsecondary
research projects.

About the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is a regional
development agency which works with businesses and communities to make
Atlantic Canada's economy more innovative, productive and competitive.
Together, with Atlantic Canadians, we are building a stronger economy.